I’ve been doing some goal setting for 2025 (and beyond).
And in fact mine have become super-simple, broad goals.
I’ve learned from my coach, about picking one overarching goal from each area. Areas being things like revenue, relationships, finances and so on.
A simple goal might look like…
“Grow my email list to 10,000 subscribers with a $2 return from each subscriber per month.”
It’s aspirational.
So it’s something to plow on towards. And will stretch you.
I love this simplicity.
Being so simple I can even memorize them!
Or plaster them all over my walls. To see every day.
Of course it’s not enough to just have aspirations.
There’s got to be planning. And breaking down the path to that goal. So meaningful progress can be made toward it.
So I’m doing quarterly planning. (Seems that’s what a lot of us do.)
And working out how many bundles, cross-promotions, or other collaborations I need to do each quarter to take the steps I need toward my goal for the year.
Then there’s even more fine-grained planning about the specific collaborations.
And I have my day-by-day promotional calendar. With my own promotions and things like bundles mapped out months ahead.
Might sound complex. But it’s not. It’s just laying out information. With some dates I need to stick to.
The rest is just the day-to-day following of that plan.
Another thing I like to keep in mind with goals, is something master email copywriter, Ben Settle, once wrote…
“Instead of setting goals based on an outcome you can’t control, create goals based on actions you can control 100%.”
Let’s say you’re wanting to lose weight.
Standing on the scales each day to check progress reminds you how far off and seemingly unachievable the goal is. And the distance to the goal isn’t something you can control right now.
But committing to eating better and walking for 30-minutes every day is something controllable.
And by sticking with that, bit-by-bit you’ll get to the goal.
Same for email.
If I want to get better at email. It’s folly to compare myself to the masters.
I’ll feel depressed that my emails aren’t so hot in comparison. That I’m years or decades behind them in skills.
And that their bank balance is looking a lot healthier than mine.
Instead, I can do the thing that’s going to move the needle.
For me, that’s writing daily email.
Even this one I’m writing now, is nudging things forward that little bit more.
I can control the input.
Not the outcomes. How people react. Nor can I twist their arms to make them buy.
But I can control the thing that’s going to help me become a more engaging writer.
And improve my ability to show with words how my products can meet my customers needs.
I get to know my audience a little better every day. So I can create offers that can really help with what’s causing them the most pain.
Making a commitment to control what we can control will look different for each of us.
But the big goal always needs to be there. So there’s a direction to go in.
Then deciding the steps you need to take to move you toward that goal.
And committing to not being swayed by what others are doing. Or how great their results look.
But simply doing the things YOU can control.
And for email marketing its… doing email marketing.
Showing up regularly. With relevant emails. And helping our readers with valuable content and offers.
A bit of accountability, injection of ideas, and guidance along the way doesn’t hurt either.
Email Ace offers this.
Perhaps it’s the nudge you need along the path towards your goals?